Android requirement for 2 Factory Reset anti-theft

Google is preparing a series of new features designed to improve the protection of Android devices against theft. In addition to Theft Protection, which automatically locks the device in case of sudden movement, Google is also improving Android's Factory Reset Protection in an upcoming version scheduled for release later this year.

Factory Reset Protection has been an integral part of Android for quite some time. The main idea is to prevent unauthorized resetting and subsequent sale of Android devices. The feature is triggered when a user attempts to reset an Android device from the recovery menu or from Find My Device.

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The first, the recovery menu option, is available to everyone as it does not require authentication. The second, Find My Device Reset, is typically initiated when a device is stolen or lost and the original owner requests a reset to protect their data on the device.

Currently, when this happens, Android requires you to sign in to the Google account associated with the device or enter your PIN, password, or authentication pattern. Failure to do so limits the functionality of the device. For example, you cannot add a new Google account to the device.

Android stores information about the connected Google account separately from user data. This means that the data remains available even after the device is factory reset.

Although useful, current versions of Factory Reset Protection were not foolproof.

Bypasses were discovered that bypassed the protections and allowed anyone with the necessary skills to bypass the protection to use the phone as if it were new or to sell it.

Blocking full access after certain resets

This year, possibly with an update to Android 16, an improved version of Factory Reset Protection will be released.

This new version will restrict all functionality on a reset Android device if the reset has not been authorized by the device owner.

The information comes directly from Google, which has identified the bypasses and is thus preparing an improved version.

In this particular case, Android will display a Factory Reset prompt on the screen. It asks the user for a second factory reset and will verify the user to make sure the device is not stolen.

No functions, not even basic ones, will work on the device until the second reset occurs and the user has passed authentication.

The change could reduce the number of stolen phones in the coming years, but there are also some questions.

The restriction will likely only apply to the next version of Android. Will devices running Android 15 or earlier be safe?

In closing, it remains to be seen if the improved security feature is as good as Google claims.

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